A PLAYER of a game is a participant therein. The term 'player' is
used with this same meaning both in game theory and in ordinary
recreational games .

Normally, there are at least two players in a game, but one-player
games exist and are collectively known as solitary games (such as the
SolitaireSolitaire card game and many video games ).

"To become a player, one must voluntarily accept the rules and
constraints of a game."

PLAYERS IN COMPETITION

In most games, one player (or team) is declared the winner, the
player who performed the best. Some multiplayer games can have
multiple winners, but in Western societies, one player (or team) is
normally considered to be the "1st place", or best, among them, and
tie-breaking structures are commonly used to ensure a singular "1st
place". This is not true universally, however; for example, in
JapanJapan ,
ties are considered to be wins for both sides. Some games use multiple
means of scoring or determining the conditions of victory; in these
games, it may be possible for two or more players or teams to
simultaneously win, which, depending on the game, may be counted as
wins for both or simply a tie.

Among the players on a team, the one who plays the best in a given
contest may be deemed the player or over the course of a series or
season may be deemed the most valuable player for that period. They
may also be identified as a player of the Match , player of the week ,
player of the month , player of the year , or even player of the
century .